Overclock
by Izzu
Summary: Continuation to Parallel. It seemed that his task hasn't ended yet.
1. Anomaly

Decided to just break the rest of the continuation in a different fic. Since the rest of the stuff I planned to do don't quite fit the theme in Mirror.

Also, sorry for the late crosspost.

* * *

_"That idiot. He better not be doing anything unnecessary."_

As soon as he stepped back into the world of Zi-O, Tsukasa could tell that something was amiss. The air felt weird, a bit charged than the last time he remembered it being.

He couldn't quite place it, but it felt as if he had stepped back into a world that was Zi-O's yet not really Zi-O's. The feeling he got was somewhat strange, but it didn't feel like something he hadn't encountered before. Tsukasa continued walking before another thought stopped him in his tracks.

The Rider War world! This feeling was similar to that time back then—when the world of AR Kiva was clashing with the world of AR Blade. Then later on, with AR Hibiki's world when the AR Blade world's Kamen Riders were defeated.

This feeling he had was somewhat like that, yet it worried him that he only realized this now.

Tsukasa frowned. He shouldn't be negligent.

But then again, he only started getting involved with Zi-O starting from the incident with Kamen Rider Ghost. And then later he'd gone to the world of the past to find out about Zi-O's origins. Back then when he was with the Time Jackers he hadn't really gone out to look around, so that could be a reason why he didn't realize this anomaly being present.

Should that be a reason why? Or was there something more to this?

Tsukasa let out a long sigh before getting shoved aside without warning. His twin-lens Blackbird camera that he'd been idly fiddling with suddenly slipped off from his grasp as the camera dropped to the ground.

"Ah!" he exclaimed before scrambling towards the camera in alarm. As he reached towards the camera, Tsukasa noticed another pair of hands were also reaching towards it. Tsukasa glanced up as his eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming. I should've been more careful and mind my surroundings when I—"

The man crouching before him gave Tsukasa a puzzled look. "Are you alright?" he asked, as Tsukasa felt his throat ran dry. The man started fussing again over his fallen camera as he stared at the man blankly.

His senses came back again when he glanced back towards his camera. "Oh shi—!" he cried out. Tsukasa grabbed the end of his camera strap as he noticed it being snapped apart.

"Gosh, why did this have to happen now...?" he started to say as the man in front of him started barraging him with endless chatterings.

"Is your camera broken? Let me examine it for you, if you don't mind? It's my mistake anyway—my studio also was around the corner..."

The other man quickly ushered Tsukasa to follow him as he remained in a daze. How else would he be when he inadvertently ended up bumping into a certain Aikawa Hajime?

This... may end up becoming complicated.


	2. Thief

Might as well be including reference to Another World in this fic. And since Another World itself wasn't actually complete, eventually I'll end up improving on stuff in which later on I'll try to resume and expand those hints or plotline in Another World.

That said, I had to remind self to set the vpn on whenever I wanna post on this site. Since I don't see the usual IP block warning and straight up got a 404 warning so I thought the site really was down.

* * *

On top of a distant building, a dimensional curtain appeared. A man in white overcoat stepped out of the curtain as the apparition disappeared behind him. It was already night when he arrived, yet he could sense a familiar presence in the air. Tsukasa was here recently, yet he had missed the jerk again. That's always the problem when you're the one pursuing a target and the target was the elusive Decade.

Kaito Daiki stared blankly towards the night scenery in front of him. There should be a reason why Tsukasa kept lingering in this world, so that means... there should be something of interest here. Things of interest, usually translate into treasures in his book. How could Tsukasa not inform him of something like this?

Kaito gripped the new Diendriver he'd recently acquired.

"This world's treasures... they're not yours to hog, Tsukasa."

xxx

"Don't worry, sir," said the young man working at the studio. "Thankfully, none of the lenses were damaged aside from some scratches on the camera's surface. If you don't mind, I'll do a bit of cleaning on the lenses aside from replacing the strap."

Tsukasa smiled weakly, "Thank you..."

"I'll take care of the repair cost for you, it's the least that I can do," said Hajime immediately as Tsukasa accepted the offer.

As the two of them headed towards the lounge area, Tsukasa spoke. "I really thought that this was your studio, but I guess that the owner here was your acquaintance?"

Hajime nodded. "I used to work at this studio for a while, so that's why I'm familiar with the people here."

"Hmm...", mused Tsukasa, before asking again. "...so where's exactly your studio?"

The man just shrugged. "It's a bit at the outskirts of the town." Hajime suddenly glanced towards his wristwatch before apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I gotta leave now. I'm sorry for the trouble," said Hajime again before leaving.

As he watched the Joker Undead take his leave, Tsukasa let out a small sigh.

It's been a long while since he last visited Blade's world, so it wouldn't be surprising if Aikawa Hajime didn't recognize him. Well, provided that this Hajime was the same one from that world and not a parallel version of the man he met before.

Tsukasa wondered how the man had lived all these times. As he recalled, the Aikawa Hajime or the Joker Undead had a close relationship with Kenzaki Kazuma. So close that in fact, Kenzaki went as far as turning himself into another Joker Undead in order to not have to seal Hajime and allow the man to continue living like a normal human.

He recalled the memory of his meeting with Kenzaki before, of how the man tried his best to keep a certain distance away from Hajime in order not to restart the Blade's world's Battle Fight again. In order to give Hajime a new life, by sacrificing his own. Tsukasa wondered if Kenzaki was nearby as well since by rights the man should've also be drawn towards Tokiwa Sougo the same way as he and the other Kamen Riders that Zi-O encountered so far had been.

Besides, there's no doubt that the Time Jackers would attempt to create a new Another Rider again in this world.

"Sir, it's fixed now," called the worker as Tsukasa turned back to retrieve his camera.

Eyeing the camera in his hands, another thought crossed his mind as Tsukasa looked up towards the worker.

"This studio had a dark room, right? Can you help me develop the pictures I've already taken?"

The worker nodded right away and immediately got to work.

xxx

The day was bright and cheerful as a certain high-school began making preparation to celebrate their students. Tsukasa sauntered around idly, to see if he could catch sight a certain highschooler. It's the only high-school he found to be located within a distance to the Kujigojido shop, so he thought that he might be able to spot the kid and his odd entourage.

As luck would have it, the school was having a graduation ceremony! (That Sougo kid should be participating in this event, right? He should be.)

Tsukasa continued sneaking around the school compound before a loud commotion came out from a nearby building. He quickly made himself scarce as a number of students and their relatives started coming out into the compounds.

It took a while before he caught sight of Sougo's great-uncle, alongside the kid himself. The kid looked happy to have graduated as his friends and classmates congratulated him.

Tsukasa smiled grimly at the sight before turning around to leave. Good to see that the kid could still be able to assume daily activities, though that probably wouldn't last long.

He might as well resume his—Tsukasa hastily turned into a corner as he thought he saw a familiar silhouette from the corner of his eyes. He quickly started to tail the figure as he saw the shadows move. As he got close enough he could hear the sound of a very familiar voice.

"What about it? Do we have a deal?"

Tsukasa paused in his tracks as he sneaked into a hidden corner to spy the area.

After a bit of look-around, Tsukasa caught sight of Kaito nearby. He frowned as he recognized the other person who was talking to him. Tsukasa frowned.

It was Woz, yet in a different attire than the ones he'd seen before. Which was strange, since he thought he saw Woz with Sougo and the others back at the school.

The two of them were acting suspiciously. That didn't look so good.

xxx

He took a left turn, as per what Woz had told him to do. It led him on a road that leads towards a medium-sized shop. Kaito stared at the signs placed in the entrance door.

"So it's a clock repairing shop, huh? How apt, considering we have a future overlord of time residing here."

Kaito sneaked a glance through the window as he spotted a tower case on a nearby countertop, containing several interesting contraptions attached on its many holders. He even manages to spot one particular item that looked of a similar design to Decade's appearance.

_Was that the treasures of this world?_

Kaito let out a smirk. If that's so, by any means he'll have to get his hands on them.

As he usually does.

* * *

A/N: I'll probably gonna end up revising this all later, but leaving this chapter as this for now. Considering Tsukasa didn't actually appear in the two episodes Kaito's in, I might as well have him interact with other characters/plot that shouldn't really influence the outcomes in the related episodes.

I included a scene of Sougo's graduation anyway since there should be a period in between ep 28-29 that remained blank. So I might as well make use of that amount of time.

A/N2: Putting temporary note here as I'm deliberating on the next chapter. While I'm somewhat leaning to one end to another, which direction should I have Tsukasa go? Follow Geiz and Woz and watch them encounter Kaito... or follow Sougo and Tsuku and end up seeing Hajime and Kenzaki having their own showdown XD


	3. Another Blade

Tsukasa went back to Studio Oshieru to retrieve the pictures that he'd requested the worker to help develop. Though to be fair, he could always get back to Hikari Studio for this. But with the many things happening in this world, it's probably better for him to stay in Zi-O's world, for now, to make sure he didn't miss anything that happened in this world.

He paused for a moment, recalling the times when he used to capture a lot of awful and badly exposed pictures and got into too much trouble because of it. Would any of the pictures he's taken ever since he arrived in this world turn out fine? Natsumi's grandfather was already too used with his photography skills that the old man would cease batting his eyes at him if there're any bad or ruined pictures. But this was the first time he had someone else develop his pictures after a while. Would it be alright?

Tsukasa let out a long sigh before shaking his head. Nah, he shouldn't worry too much. His photography skills had improved a lot since back then, and back then he used to suffer memory loses that was also kinda the reason why he forgot how to use his camera.

It should be fine.

xxx

"I'm surprised, sir. I've never seen anyone else who could take the kind of pictures the way yours do."

Tsukasa took a step back from the counter as he gave the man a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry?" he asked as Tsukasa took out the pictures that he received. The pictures he took of the DaiMazine turned out pretty normal. But as he expected, the pictures he took of Sougo, Tsukuyomi and Geiz turned out to have the same superimposed outcome as the many other pictures he took of the special people that he met throughout the many worlds he passed through.

Tsukasa gave a side-glance towards the young worker. He smiled at him off-handedly. "Ah, this? It's nothing. I just had a few special talents to be able to take such pictures..." he started explaining before a sudden uproar from the next room grabbed his attention away.

xxx

Tsukasa took a cautious peek at the chaos as the other workers, photographer and their models started scampering around towards safety. His presence was basically forgotten but he didn't mind that.

He turned towards the source of the commotion as a monster—no, an Another Rider—started turning the place upside down.

"Where is he? Where's Hajime-san?"

Tsukasa frowned as he recognized the name. It couldn't be a coincidence that the Another Rider was looking for someone with that name and just the other day he was told that the studio was one of the places Aikawa Hajime had worked with.

That Another Rider should be related to Blade, Tsukasa thought as he tried to snap a picture of it using his camera. To his surprise, the switch on his camera was kinda stuck.

He frowned again as Tsukasa took a closer look at the old thing. "And I just had this fixed, geez!" he groaned before he heard different sounds coming from the other room.

It's the Zi-O groupie...

xxx

"...Geiz and Woz, go look for that Diend guy. Tsukuyomi and I will go after that Another Rider."

Tsukasa let out a smirk. So, that Kaito was already up to his old antics with the kids. Why can't he even be surprised by that now?, he wondered as his eyes trailed towards the parting kids.

Should he go after that Geiz kid or Sougo? But if he followed the former... the thought of meeting Kaito now filled him with dread. Kaito's not the type to listen and obediently do something that would not benefit him in any way. So if he was to ask that guy to not get involved anymore with Zi-O, that idiot would definitely not listen to him.

Also, that idiot was always quite simple-minded so making his presence known to that guy doesn't seem to be a wise move at the moment. It may even backfire on him.

And even if he could tell Kaito of his current plan, it's highly unlikely for that guy to completely stick to it long enough for them to pull it off till the end. And Kaito most definitely gonna stick to him at all times so ugh, no, please.

Tsukasa unconsciously twitched his nose as he turned his attention towards Tsukuyomi and Sougo. He frowned at Tsukuyomi's direction.

He'd warned her earlier about keeping the things they saw in Sougo's past a secret for now. And it looked like she's still keeping up with the promise.

Tsukasa looked down to check on his camera. It was odd that he couldn't seem to use it and it was supposed to be fixed—he tried to take a picture anyway, aiming it towards Sougo's direction. He put the camera down in the end, without taking any.

It's not the camera. Yet there was something about the camera that was _different_.

Tsukasa just shook his head before hurrying to keep up his tail on Sougo and Tsukuyomi.

xxx

He went back to Kujigojido shop, knowing that none of the kids would be returning to the place anytime soon. But just as he reached the entrance of the shop, Tsukasa looked down on his camera before taking the front cover of the camera off.

He tucked the magenta coloured cover into his coat's inner pocket before inviting himself into the shop. The kids had seen his camera a few times during their last few encounters, so they might suspect something if they saw the camera at the shop.

"Ah, welcome..." greeted someone as Tsukasa turned around to see the old man coming out from the kitchen. The old man's eyes brightened as he recognized Tsukasa.

"Oh, it's you. You're one of Sougo's—"

"_Friends_," Tsukasa finished the sentence as he tried to appear presentable to the old man.

"Sougo-kun had been mad at you for eating his food last time—" said the old man again as Tsukasa giggled at the memory.

"I heard," he started to say, still chuckling. "I promise, I'm not going to steal his lunch again this time."

The old man grinned at his reply. "Are you coming to see him? Sougo and his friend went out earlier, so I'm not sure when they'll be back—"

Tsukasa hurriedly waved the concerns away. "Nah, I'll come to see them again next time." He placed his camera on the shop counter as Tokiwa Junichiro stared at him in confusion.

"I came here because of this. I heard from Sougo that you're good at fixing things, so I was hoping to ask if you can help to fix this."

The old man gave him a troubled look. "B-but... this shop was actually—"

Tsukasa nodded at him in understanding. "I know, this was a clock repairing shop. You mostly deal with timepieces."

"—so, why would you ask me to—"

"—it's because I know that you're good at fixing things, that's why. And this camera... was something of great importance to me." Tsukasa shrugged. "It used to belong to my father before my parents died, so I'm a bit reluctant to part with it. Even if it's broken."

"Ah..." said Junichiro as he took the camera from Tsukasa. The old man briefly turned the camera around on all side to take a look at it. "So what's wrong with it?"

Tsukasa shook his head. "I accidentally dropped it a few days ago, so an acquaintance offered to help fix it. But even after that, the camera felt off somewhat still so I wanted to have someone else take a look at it. It's a bit old after all, so younger people might not be familiar with the camera."

"Make sense," the old man agreed, as he put the camera aside. "These Blackbird cameras tend to be quite rare nowadays since the company stopped manufacturing them now. I'll take a look at it." Junichiro flashed him a friendly smile. "I might not look like it, but I used to be an avid hobbyist when I was young. I used to be in this photography club with a few of my old friends so I had a share of using different types of cameras..."

"Thank you," said Tsukasa gratefully. "I'll come by again to get the camera back. Oh, by the way," he asked as another thought crossed his mind. "Do you know if there's any _photography equipment_ shop in this neighbourhood? I'm not very familiar with this place, so I wonder if you know anything about that."

Junichiro blinked a few times before scratching his head. "Hmm... I think I remembered at least one that's located a few blocks from here. It shouldn't be hard to find."

Tsukasa nodded as he expressed his thanks again.

xxx

Tsukasa turned around to take another look at the shop before leaving. He smiled by himself as he watched the old man taking his time to check on his camera. The old man would definitely find out what was wrong with the camera and fix it.

Because he could sense it. There was something about the shop that's special and there's _another reason_ why the old man seemed to have a special gift to be able to fix just about anything that turned up to that shop.

Tsukasa snorted to himself. Time to get back to checking up on Sougo-kun.

* * *

A/N: Finally completed this chapter. I'll double-check this later with the related episodes to see if there are any details that were off. Since there was that random scene where Junichiro was holding another old BB camera in his hand, I might as well use that in the plot.


	4. Broken Seal

Been a while since my last update so here ya go. Might be a bit short but well, it's as good as you can get. I decided to pause update and finish the series till the end to try to figure out what to do with the plot. And so happened that I also finally get to watch OverQuartzer last weekend so there's that.

* * *

The dimensional curtain brought him back towards the front of the building that housed Studio Oshieru as Tsukasa frowned. He thought he was willing himself to relocate towards the location of Sougo and Tsukuyomi so why—?

A scream suddenly resounded behind him as he turned around to see a number of civilians running away in alarm. He ran over as he caught one of them.

"What happened?"

The man was staring at him wide-eyed in fear. "A monster! And someone was fighting it!" exclaimed the man before shrugging off from his grasp before running away again.

_Another nearby photo studio, is it?_, Tsukasa mused. Suppose the current space distortion managed to round up a number of photo studios and have them within distances of each other?

Tsukasa let out a snort before running off towards the source of the disturbance.

xxx

Zi-O was fighting with Chalice. Aikawa Hajime. Hajime-san seemed to be protecting the Another Blade. So the person WAS connected to Hajime after all?

Tsukasa frowned. _What was this bad feeling he's sensing?_

Then again, perhaps his worries weren't unfounded. After all, so far... most of the people the Time Jacker has picked to become Another rider were random people who have no relation towards any of the original Kamen Riders. So for this one being connected to Hajime-san, could that also mean that the person was also connected to Kenzaki-san? And how would this affect anything?

Tsukasa blinked as he sensed something changing in the air. He turned his head around as his eyes caught a glimpse of something—_someone_—heading towards them. Would that be—?

Tsukasa's assumption was right on track as a _familiar person_ came into view. Yet, he couldn't help noticing that this Kenzaki appeared a lot more ragged than how he last saw the man in the past. Has Kenzaki's life been harder since the last time they met?

"Kenzaki, you noticed it too?"

"Hajime—! You used your power! I sealed my own power away, for your sake. And you broke that seal!"

Tsukasa blinked. Eh? _Kenzaki-san... did that?_

Then again he remembered Kenzaki telling him before that ever since he became the Navy Joker, he wasn't able to let himself be close to Hajime. Because their close proximity would make them be inclined to start fighting each other and resume their unfinished Battle Fight. Since that was the fate of every Undeads of his world as long as their Battle Fight did not end with a final victor.

And neither Kenzaki nor Hajime should be allowed to lose or else the world of Kamen Rider Blade would be destroyed.

_So Kenzaki-san chose to seal his own power?_

Tsukasa silently watched the scene from afar as Kenzaki transformed into Blade, which was quite unlike the time in the past when the man tried to fight him. Kenzaki back then was cold and composed but _this_ Kenzaki was—Suppose it was easier to fight a stranger compared to fighting a dear friend.

"The two of us, now that we've met again... is there no way to avoid this fate?"

Tsukasa turned to look at Zi-O and Tsukuyomi and as expected, the two kids were at a lost. Well, that shouldn't be surprising. How could they have expected to encounter Kenzaki and Hajime-san like this?

But this battle between Blade and Chalice... the two of them were really fighting seriously! And it didn't look like Kenzaki-san were thinking clearly in this fight and just relying on his emotions. This fight should be stopped yet—Tsukasa turned his glance towards Zi-O again as he seemed to have resumed fighting with Another Blade now that Chalice was occupied.

He should just continue to watch over them. Barging into fights unnecessarily might make the situation even worse and Tsukasa was very much aware of how unpredictable such battles could be.

And a part of him was curious as to how Sougo would deal with this situation.

* * *

A/N2: Sorry if there wasn't much going on in the last few chapters aside from retelling the episodes from Tsukasa's POV. Since before I could write in any new scene I had to first consider the plot in the related episodes and try not having the events clashed with each other.

And fair warning, since the plot from OverQuartzer kinda has some bit of unexpected twist... I may include hints of it in this fic veeeeeeery faintly. So yeah, there may be spoilers on that XD


End file.
